Members of the Augusta-Richmond County Coliseum Authority were updated on the future of the proposed new James Brown Arena project during their monthly meeting on Jan. 25.
This marked the first meeting for the authority since a special meeting on Nov. 3, 2021, one day after Richmond County voters rejected the $240 million bond referendum to build a new arena. More than 60% of the 12,844 ballots cast opposed the $240 million dollar referendum.
Authority Chairman Cedric Johnson said the plan was to get more community input and look for a way to get the project in motion.
In the meantime, he said they have been meeting with their bond counsel, looking for ways to fund the project without taxing county residents.
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Had it been approved, repaying the bond would have resulted in a 2.7887 millage rate increase on property taxes. For a $100,000 home, that translates to a tax increase of about $97.60 a year.
Authority Vice Chairman Brad Usry, who chaired the authority committee overseeing the project, said he believed the vote was on the funding mechanism, not the project itself.
While alternate sources of funding are researched, the authority members voted unanimously to enter into a new contract with Project Manager H.B. Brantley of Atlanta-based SPACE.
“What HB has been very pivotal in doing is talking to the commissioners one on one, talking to other stakeholders, helping us keep up with financially where we are with the monies we’ve got,” explained Johnson. “So that again, when we start back, we know exactly where we are, and what we have to have. He will also be pivotable in bringing the architects and all those other people back on board.”
Some money for the project — $25 million — was included in the SPLOST 8 approved by voters in March 2021. Commissioners authorized releasing $15 million ahead of schedule. Those funds were used for design and development documents.
When the bond referendum was voted down, all work on the project was put on hold.
The project envisioned would create an entertainment complex with a new, larger arena and major upgrades to the Bell Auditorium including a covered walkway to connect the new facility to the Bell Auditorium.
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The plan called for an arena that would seat 10,000 people for an event. By comparison, the existing arena seats about 6,500 for a concert.
The authority members did get some good news from Spectra Venue Management, which operates the arena and Bell Auditorium.
Had the referendum been approved, the arena would be shut down sometime in February to prepare for demolition work. Because of that, Spectra stopped booking shows in the arena.
“We’re just using the dates as an opportunity to go to promoters and clients who historically have used one or two dates, and we asked them if, you know, there’s a need for rehearsals or space or you know, time in one location. And we’ve gotten lucky with some longer-term rentals coming up, and we’re thinking outside the box,” said General Manager Chris Bird, “So there’s some things coming down the pike that we really think the public’s going to be excited about what we’re using the arena as in the coming months.”
Dana Lynn McIntyre is a Staff Reporter with The Augusta Press. You can reach her at dana@theaugustapress.com
